STRATHCONA COUNTY AND THE CITY OF FORT SASKATCHEWAN, Alberta, June 19, 2009 – Starting and running a business in Strathcona County and the City of Fort Saskatchewan just became easier thanks to BizPaL, a new online business permit and licence service that saves time spent on paperwork and helps entrepreneurs start up faster.
Today, the Honourable Diane Ablonczy, Minister of State (Small Business and Tourism), together with the Honourable Heather Klimchuk, Minister of Service Alberta, Mr. Jim Sheasgreen, Mayor of the City of Fort Saskatchewan, and Ms. Cathy Olesen, Mayor of Strathcona County, welcomed the launch of BizPaL in Strathcona County and the City of Fort Saskatchewan, Alberta.
BizPaL is an innovative service that provides entrepreneurs with simplified access to the information on permits and licences they need to establish and run their businesses. This unique partnership among federal, provincial, territorial, regional and local governments is designed to cut through the paperwork burden and red tape that small business owners encounter. The BizPaL service in Strathcona County and the City of Fort Saskatchewan was developed by the County, the City, the Province of Alberta and the Government of Canada.
“I am glad to see BizPaL extended to more communities in Alberta,” said Minister of State Ablonczy. “It's an example of government making things easier for Canadians. At a time of global economic uncertainty, we need to do everything we can to help Canadian businesses, especially small businesses, which create so many of our new jobs. BizPaL is a simple, cost-effective way to provide that kind of practical help.”
“Using innovative approaches to deliver services more effectively is one of the Alberta government's goals,” said Minister Klimchuk. “BizPaL makes it faster and easier for business owners and entrepreneurs to get up and running by giving them quick access to information about the permits and licences they need. I am delighted to see this very helpful tool expanding to more communities in Alberta.”
“The City of Fort Saskatchewan is very pleased to be able to provide this convenient, one-stop, online service for new business operators. Any time we can consolidate services, save people time and provide an excellent tool, such as BizPaL, it is a step in the right direction,” stated Mayor Sheasgreen.
“The relationship between Strathcona County and our business community has always been strong,” said Mayor Olesen. “We are pleased to be a partner in the BizPaL initiative to the benefit of our local entrepreneurs.”
Area business owners and entrepreneurs can access the service by visiting www.fortsask.ca/ftsk_Permits_Licenses/BizpalOnlineBusinessPermitsandLicenses.aspx, www.strathconacounty.com/business/bizpal.html, or www.bizpal.alberta.ca. The Province is looking forward to expanding BizPaL to other areas of Alberta over the next year.
Visit bizpal.ca for additional information and access to the websites of participating partners.
For further information (media only), please contact:
Catherine Godbout
Office of the Honourable Diane Ablonczy
Minister of State (Small Business and Tourism)
613-947-5856
Media Relations
Industry Canada
613-943-2502
Mike Berezowsky
Communications
Service Alberta
780-415-6051
Jocelyn Tennison
Communications Manager
Strathcona County
780-464-8023
Wendy Kinsella
Communications and Marketing
City of Fort Saskatchewan
780-992-6155
BizPaL is an online service that benefits Canadian businesses by helping them identify which permits and licences they require and how to obtain them. Entrepreneurs simply answer a series of questions on the type of business they want to start or expand and the activities they plan to undertake. BizPaL then automatically generates a list of all required permits and licences from all levels of government, along with basic information on each, and links to government sites where the entrepreneur can learn more and, in some cases, apply online.
BizPaL also benefits governments by making it easier for them to provide accurate information on permits and licences to business. Although the service is offered online, it can also be used through other service channels (i.e. , telephone and in-person centres) to extend services to more clients.
To date, 11 provinces and territories are participating in BizPaL, with more than 300 municipalities offering the service.
Industry Canada is the lead federal department for the BizPaL initiative, supporting the centralized functions of the project. The Government of Canada is fully committed to creating a competitive business environment that supports innovation and reduces red tape. BizPaL is a complementary measure within the government's success in reducing the paperwork burden on small businesses by 20 percent.
The success of BizPaL is due in part to the multi-jurisdictional partnership among federal, provincial, territorial, regional and local governments. The partnership operates under a shared governance and costing model with collaborative decision making. Each jurisdiction is responsible for adding and maintaining its own information in BizPaL.
This interactive, smart permit and licence tool is featured at www.bizpal.alberta.ca. Visit bizpal.ca for a complete list of participating jurisdictions.
